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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Googlization

I think I spent more time on the title than writing this post, so if you don't like it, just pretend;) Recently, I participated in a Google Certification Academy. I had heard of educators that had taken the class and I was intrigued. I was actually a little intimidated by the course and afraid I would be the least knowledgeable person in the room. To be honest, I may have been:) I took a pretest before the class and scored an 83%....That's exactly where I would have placed myself...a low to mid B. However, I really want to be closer to an A when it comes to technology. My secret desire has been to be a techie and I thought that maybe this course would bring me closer to that goal.

I learned a lot during the first session, but what I learned the most was how little I knew!! Even Gmail, which is something I use everyday had so many facets that I had no idea about. One of my "accomplishments" of the class was to get to Inbox Zero...I'm now living the philosophy of "Search Don't Sort" (I'll be sharing out more on that at staff meetings:). I was told by the facilitator that he once had a student with over 8,000 messages in her inbox...I trumped that title with a whopping 11,000 messages! No wonder, I felt lighter when I left that session:)

As an educator, I feel that it's important to push myself to learn new things and to be a role model for the students. It was scary going into that class knowing that most of the people there would be MUCH more tech savvy than me, but when I left, I felt like "I can do this". It made me think of how many of our students feel in classes or subjects that are foreign to them or difficult. Some students may not hear English in the home. Some may not have computers to work on. Some may have parents that struggle with reading and math. And yet, all students are expected to perform the same in the class. That's where the magic happens. Teachers take students from all different backgrounds and experiences and somehow get them all to the same place. At the very least, they get all students to grow throughout the year.

This summer, I am planning on taking what I learned from this course and moving to the next level. I want to study the modules that were presented, take the certification exams, and apply to become a Google Certified Educator. That means a lot of studying and training will be in my future, but it also means a lot of growth and learning as well. As an adult, I can control my access to my class information and arrange for study time, but for our students, a lot of that may be dependent on their teacher. They need a teacher who motivates, encourages, supports, guides, and ultimately helps each student reach their full potential. This course pushed me out of my comfort zone and reminded me of how many of our students feel. It also reminded me of the great job each of you do as teachers in pushing students out of their comfort zones, while supporting them each step of the way!

10 Surprising Facts About Google (2 minute video)

PEARLS OF WISDOM"A teacher effects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." (or she) - Henry Adams

"The best teacher teaches from the heart, not from the book." - Unknown

"It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference." - Tom Brokaw